| Kōsaku Aruga | |
|---|---|
| August 21, 1897 - April 7, 1945 (aged 47) | |
 Captain Aruga Kōsaku |
|
| Place of birth | Asahi, Kamiina, Nagano Prefecture, Japan |
| Place of death | southwest Kyūshū Sea |
| Allegiance |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1917-1945 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands held | Chōkai, Yamato |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Posthumous promotion to Vice Admiral |
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Aruga.
Kōsaku Aruga (有賀 幸作 Aruga Kōsaku, August 21, 1897 - April 7 1945), was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He commanded the battleship Yamato during its final mission: Operation Ten-Go.
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Biography
Aruga was a native of Nagano prefecture, and graduated from the 45th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1917, ranked 58th of 89 cadets. He served his midshipman duty on the cruiser Iwate and battleship Japanese battleship Hyūga (2), and completed naval artillery and torpedo warfare coursework from 1918-1919. After his commissioning as a ensign, he served on a number of destroyers. From November 1922-November 1923, he was assigned to the battleship Nagato. After his promotion to lieutenant in December 1923, he served as chief torpedo officer on the destroyers Akikaze and Kikuzuki, followed by the light cruisers Naka and Kiso. [1]
After his promotion to lieutenant commander in 1929, Aruga received his first command; the destroyer Yugao. This was followed by Fuyo in 1930, Tachikaze, Akikaze in 1932, Matsukaze in 1933 and Inazuma in 1934. After a shore assignment to the Chinkai Guard District from 1935-1937, Aruga returned to sea as the executive officer on the cruiser Sendai. He subsequently commanded a Minesweeper Division and Destroyer Division 11 (DesDiv 4), and was promoted to captain in November 1940.[2]
In June 1941, Aruga was in command of DesDiv 4, which participated in the Battle of Midway and in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. [3]
In March 1943, Aruga was reassigned to command the heavy cruiser Chōkai.[4] Recalled to Japan in June 1944 after he developed malaria, Aruga served as chief instructor at the Torpedo School until November of that year, when he was reassigned to the IJN 2nd Fleet. On 25 November 1944, he was given command of the battleship Yamato.[5]
In April 1945, under Operation-Ten Go, Yamato was assigned on a suicide mission against the American forces at the Battle of Okinawa, given only enough fuel for a one-way mission and only a cruiser and eight destroyer as an escort. Yamato was to wreak havoc on the American landing operation, and to beach herself on the Okinawa shore as a coastal fortress.[6] On April 7 1945, Yamato was sunk by waves of U.S. Navy carrier-based aircraft. Aruga went down with his ship. He was posthumously promoted two steps in rank to vice admiral.[7]
In the 2005 Japanese movie about the final mission of Yamato, Otokotachi no Yamato, the role of Aruga was played by Japanese actor Eiji Okuda.
References
Books
- Fuller, Richard (1992). Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1854091514.
- Feifer, George (2001). "Operation Heaven Number One". The Battle of Okinawa: The Blood and the Bomb. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-215-5.
- Hara, Tameichi (1961). "The Last Sortie". Japanese Destroyer Captain. New York & Toronto: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-27894-1.
- Spurr, Russell (1995). A Glorious Way to Die: The Kamikaze Mission of the Battleship Yamato, April 1945. Newmarket Press. ISBN 1-55704-248-9.
- Yoshida, Mitsuru; Richard H. Minear (1999). Requiem for Battleship Yamato. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-544-6.
External links
- Nishida, Hiroshi. "Imperial Japanese Navy". http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px45.htm#v001.
- Chen, Peter. "WWDB.com World War II Database". http://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=441 WWDB.com.
- Sailing With Resignation Toward a Place to Die
- http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~un3k-mn/ren-ariga.htm
- http://www007.upp.so-net.ne.jp/togo/human/aa/kousaku.html
Notes
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